NEWS

Insiders tell us that provisions of the Jobs in the Woods Act, the bipartisan legislation created to address the labor shortage in the U.S. forestry industry by providing workforce training, will be included in the Rural Development title of the farm bill. That means it's likely to be signed into law with future action on the farm bill.

DHA and the Hardwood Federation are actively advocating against H.R. 7157, a bill that would significantly compress the time allotted to assess imports of wood products imports for violations of the Lacey Act, which bans the import of illegal timber, undermining enforcement. The House Natural Resources Committee indicated they have no plans to advance the bill at this time and are committed to working with those affected by illegal timber, including the U.S. wood industry.

Decorative Hardwoods Association (formerly HPVA) eNews Volume XVII, Issue IV: DHA Insights | DHA Signs Carbon Agreement With U.S. Forest Service | Florida Couple Imprisoned For Evading Plywood Duties, Will Pay $44M | Imports Of Hardwood Plywood Reverse Downward Trend

What three countries in Europe have the fewest forests?

Answer: Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

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U.S. lawmakers introduced new legislation to expedite customs processing for wood products, with the support of the International Wood Products Association. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environmental Investigation Agency argue that this will undermine enforcement of the Lacey Act.